Dressing tent for vehicles



J. D. BELL Jan. 12, 1932.

DRESSING TENT FOR VEHICLES Filed Oct. 10, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR.

Jan. 12, 1932. J. D. BELL 1,841,002

DRESSING TENT FOR VEHICLES Filed Oct. 10, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 12, 1932. J. D. BELL 1,841,002

DRESSING TENT FOR VEHICLES Filed Oct. 10, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 y-ls INVENTOR. Jo SE PH Q BELI- ATORNEYS.

Jan. 12, 1932. J D. BELL 1,841,002

DRESSING TENT FOR VEHICLES Filed Oct. 10, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 on GD m 47 44* m 2'": '9 "Y1 4-0 4 4/ 40 o 5 Llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Patented Jan. 12, 1 932 1,841,002

1UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH D. BELL, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA DRESSING TENT FOR VEHICLES Application filed October 10, 1927. Serial No. 225,373.

This invention relates to a dressing tent for Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantialvehicles, and in particular to a tent to be at ly along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, in the directached to the running board and to the body tion of the arrows indicated.

W of a motor Vehicle, and which may be stored, Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the i 5 when not in use, in a compact form, beneath line 4-4 of Fig. 3. the running board of the vehicle, so that the Fig. 5 is a plan sectional view showing the same will not interfere with the operation floor of my dressing tent extended for use and of the vehicle or with the occupants thereof. showing the tent structure attached thereto.

' A still further object of the invention is to Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken substantial- 10 provide a dressing tent in which a person ly along the line 6-6 of Fig. 5. may dress, or perform other toilet operations Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detail view, partly with security, and with no danger of being in Section, showing the manner in which the viewed from the outside of the vehicle. My tent stays are attached to the hinges of the device is particularly adapted for attachmotor vehicle doors.

15 ment to vehicles of the sedan type, but it is Fig. 8 is a front elevation of a pair of the contemplated that the invention may be atdoor hinges showing a tent stay mounted tached to any vehicle. thereon.

Another object of the invention is to pro- Fig. 9 is a sectional view showing the man vide a device which is attached to the vehicle n r in w h a m dified form f t tent adjacent the vehicle'door, or doors, and into floor constructed in accordance with my in which device the door or doors of the vehicle Vention is eXtcnded for use. open, so that the occupants of the vehicle g- 10 is a perspective view showing a may readily enter the tent or return from the Sanitary receptacle that may be attached to tent to the vehicle, without being exposed to the tent floor. view. Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a portable Another object of the invention is to pro- Wash basin used in connection with my invide a dressing tent which is highly useful i II- and simple in construction. Convenience of g- 12 is a e tional View aken through arrangement, lightness, and comparative ine running board of an automobile vehicle expensiveness of manufacture are other de- ShOWlIlg a m di f rm f my lnv ntlon S0 sirable features which have been borne in i113tal16d theretO- mind in the development of my invention. g- 13 i a persp t v vleW showlng the I thi ifi ti a d th annexed d manner in which the tent supporting rods ings, the invention is illustrated in the form are attached t0 the econsidered to be best. It is to be understood g- 14 is hOttOIIl p View showing the that the invention is not limited to such Preferred form of y invention, and showforms, because it may be embodied in other g the floor hoards 0f the tent attached t0 forms, and it is also to be understood that in the running board of aI1 automobile in and by the claims following the description tended POSltlOIL it is desired to cover the invention in whatg- 15 is it fragmentary Side View O t e ver for it' a b b di d, running board extension, showing the man- ,In the accompanyin f h t f d ner in which same is attached to the vehicle ings V 7 running board.

' Fig. 1 is a front view of the invention, Fig. 16 is a fragmentary side view of the showing-thesam'e attached to the side of a running board extension, showing same motor vehicle, with certain parts of the destored away beneath the running board of vice broken away to more clearly reveal the the vehicle. nature ofthe invention. 7 Fig. 17 is a plan sectional view of the preac ,F ig.2is atop plan view showing the device ferred form of my invention, taken above 10 attached to a vehicle as in Fig. 1. the running board, showing the floor of the dressing tent inposition extended for use. Fig. 18 is a cross sectional view taken through the running board of a motor vehicle showing my device occupyin a position beneath the same when storedaway.

Fig. 19 is a fragmentary cross section takensubstantially along the lines1919 of Fig.

Fig. is a cross sectional. view taken there is a passenger compartment 13 and top- =14jand a running board 11 along the side of the body. The body is provided with apair ofdoorsl5 and 16 that are attached thereto bymeans of the hinges 1'? and 18 shown in Figs.-7 and--8.= These hinges comprise staggere'd eyelets 19 having a pintle pin 20 extended therethrough, which ,pintle is provided with'a head 21. The head is drilled:

' to provide a socket 22; set screw 22 extendsthroughthe head totheinterior of the socket 22 and a U-shapedrod 23- formed of heavy wire or the like has its free ends extendedinto-the sockets of each hinge as clearly seen in Fig. 1, so as to form an'outward andhori'zontally disposed bow across the doors of the vehicle. 7 1

Secured to the-top .of' the vehicle in alignment with the hinges on each, door, are a pair ofU-shapedbrackets 24 tliat'hav e parallel flanges 25' and 26, with aligned, squared 40" apertures therethrough. 'A pairef U-shaped supports 27, each of. which has a squared arm 28, extends'through thesesquared apertures, as shown in Fig. 13; The free endsofeach of these U-shaped' supports have sockets 2929therein into which the free ends of bow; rods 30. and 31 are to'be received. The mediate portions of the two upper bowed I V rods 230 and 3l are supported; by a hinged spaced relation;

prop 32 which has notches 33%34 in the upper end to be insertedibeneath the upper bow members 31. and respectively, and has its other end resting'on' the running board! extension of; the. vehicle, The, notch 34 is formed in: the hinge heightto maintain the'bows 30 and 31 in The tent wall is formed of any suit able fabric-such as canvasand has a rod retaining strip 35 along its upper marginalfledge. to

receive theupper bowed member 81 and a transverserod retaining strip'36 runs across the fabricbelow -the upper edge to receive the lowerbow 80, thetent being suspended in a vertical position from the bow rods 30 and The' ,conventional type of tentflap 37 is 'formedfalong one side of the tent wall prop' 32 at the proper overlapping joint in the material extended to a point below the top of the tent wall.

, The floor of the dressing tent is comprised partly by'the running board of the vehicle and partly by an extension attached to an edge of the running board. v

In the preferred form of the invention, an elongated track 40, U -shaped in cross section, is attached to theunder side of the running board 11 and extends transversely therea-cross, centrally relative to the tent structure. This U-shaped track 40 has lateral flanges 41 that extend outwardly from opposite sides thereof, at right angles to the edgeof the running board. A slidable U-shaped bracket 42 that has inwardly extending flanges 43 on opposite sides thereof'is adapted to. be received on the opposite flanges 41 on the track 4t). The bracket 42 has a pin .44 that extends down wardly from'the bottom thereof and also has a depending'angle bracket 45 that is bolted to the tent floor 9. The outer end of the track 40 has secured thereto as by riveting, bolting or the like, a hasp 46 'and'an, angle piece 47 secured to the outer end of the running board extension 9 has a slot 48 therein that fits over the hasp. V A suitable padlock, or the like, may be inserted through an aperture in the hasp, as shown in Fig. 18, to hold the floor looked beneaththe running board. The floor 9 is adapted to receive the folded tent assembly to be locked beneath the running board when the tent is not in use.

v When in use, the pin 44 is receivable within a socket 44" in thefloor ofthe running boardll, and the extension or floor 9lies flush with the running board. Suitable supporting means 49 are provided for the outer end of the running board, extension 9, that comprises a removable prop or leg that supports the extension 9 from the ground, as disclosed in Fig. 15. It is preferable to have the lower end of the fabric tent wall permanently attached to the outeredge of the running board extension 9, and a portion of the fabric adjacent the existing flap being free to'permit entranceinto the tent. v Inthe form of the invention shown in Fig. 12, the runningboard extension'or tent floor *is formed of two sections, 10 and. 11, hinged together at 12, the section-10 being permanently hinged to the permanent-- running board 11 andthis hinge 12; is so arranged that the section 10f may swing inwardly,1to:occupy the position shownin dottedzlines in Fig. 12. The section 11 is-hinged to the section 10' so that two sections may be folded upon each other and swing inwardly under the running board; "A suitable eyelet .13 is attached to the sectionf10 adjacent the running board 11,

and a hook 14 or the like-is attached to the under side of the running board ll-to-engage the eyelet 13 to holdthefolded sections in position under the running board, when not in use. In this particular form of the invention, it is preferable to have the lower edge of the fabric removably attached by snap fasteners 15 or the like, to the outer edge of the section 11.

Iii-the modification shown in Figs. and 6, the running board extension 9 is pivoted at 10 to an end of a pair of swinging links 8". Each link 8 has an upset portion which is pivoted at 11 to the running board 11. The extension 9" has a marginal flange 12 to which the tent fabric is removably attached by means of suitable springs fasteners 14: in the tent material that engage apertures 15" in the marginal flange 12 to the eyelets 16 in the tent fabric to lighten the fabric and hold the same in position. When not in use the extension with the collapsed tent thereon may be swung underneath the running board, so as to occupy the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5. It is to be noted that in the last two forms of the invention described, the running board extension does not lie flush with the running board, and hence these are not preferred forms.

Various accessories and conveniences may be provided for, within the dressing tent. In Fig. 10 I have shown a convenience lavatory. A suitable circular section (a) is cut through the running board 9 and slots (5) in the running board are adapted to receive the ends of support rods The rods (0) have secured to the upper end thereof a circular band ((1). A supply of flexible cardboard or congoleum or the like may be carried in the vehicle and when desired this material may be rolled into the form of a cylinder (0) and inserted within the metal band (CZ) so as to enclose the section cut out in the running board.

In Fig. 11 a netting is shown as being stretched across the top of the band cl and a paper which may be of any nature such as wrapping paper or newspaper is placed on the netting. This forms a wash basin and when the user is through with the same he may punch an aperture (g) in the paper with his finger to drain off the water.

Although apreferred form and two specific modifications of the invention are herein shown, it is to be understood that no attempt has been made to show all the forms which might be used to advantage and it will be further understood that the details of construction may be altered without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Having thus described this invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a vehicle body having a running board thereon of an extension for said running board; means for removably attaching said extension to said running board so as to lie in the same plane therewith; a removable tent structure attached to the vehicle side and enclosing a portion of the same to form a compartment on said body portion and extended above the top of the vehicle, said running board and extension forming the floor of said tent structure.

2. The combination with a vehicle body having a running board thereon, of a plurality of overlying bowed members having their free ends attached to the side of the vehicle body and overlying said running board; a tent fabric stretched around said bowed members to enclose a portion of the running board and vehicle side, said running board forming the floor of said tent structure.

3. The combination with a vehicle body having a running board thereon of a plurality of bowed members arranged in superimposed relationship having their free ends attached to said vehicle body, one of said bowed members being positioned above said vehicle body; a tent fabric stretched around said bowed members, to enclose a portion of the vehicle side and running board and an extension to said running board lying substantially flush therewith, said extension and running board forming the floor of said tent structure.

'4. In combination with a vehicle body, having a running board thereon, of an extension piece to be arranged adjacent the outer edge of said running board to form a continuation thereof; a tent structure to be attached to the running board and extension; and rods detachably engaged with the ve hicle side and projected outwardly therefrom over the running board and extension to hold the tent structure in erected position thereover.

5. In combination with a vehicle body, having a running board thereon, of an extension piece to be arranged adjacent the outer edge of said running board to form a continuation thereof; a tent structure to be attached to the running board and extension; rods detachably engaged with the vehicle side and projected outwardly therefrom over the running board and extension to hold the tent structure in erected position thereover; and collapsible means on the underside of the running board to support said extension in operative and in inoperative positions.

6. The combination with a vehicle body having a running board thereon, of an extensible floor mounted on the running board; and a removable tent structure attached to the body above the said floor and said running board enclosing a compartment with a portion of the vehicle side.

7 The combination with a vehicle body having a running board thereon, of an extension floor mounted on the running board; a tent structure on the extension floor and above a portion of the running board to form an enclosure at a portienbf the vehiel'e'side; anddetaehable means attached to the vehicle body to support the tent structure above said extension floor and said running board so that said tent'structure' extends above the vehicle top. V V Y In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set y hand at San Francisc0,-Ca1if0rnia, this 29 day of August; 1927f e v V JOSEPH D. BELL. 

